cliffs edge
by wolfypuppypiles
Summary: It's always on the 'simple' missions that you almost die. Keith can't swim and they're about to be thrown off a cliff into a silver ocean. This seems like a good time to kiss Lance for the first time.
1. Chapter 1

It's always the 'simple missions' that almost kill you. Allura had been eager to start forming alliances against Zarkon and since Achelois was a small moon rather than a planet, it seemed like a good place to start. There were no galra guarding it and it seemed to only be inhabited by the native people, so Shiro dropped Lance and Keith off to make friends, while the rest of the team flew to the planet the moon was orbiting.

Lance had complained about not being allowed to take Blue or his paladin suit but Shiro didn't want them to look like threats so it was just Keith and Lance in their clothes from earth. Keith of course, had an arsenal of weapons hidden on him, but was being made to give them up in order to talk to the moons leader.

Lance tried to reassure the guard keeping them out of the leaders sacred hall.

"We're paladins of Voltron, we just want to talk."

"Then you won't mind relinquishing your weapons to do so."

Lance frowned but agreed, remembering Shiro's instruction to cooperate and play nice, but Keith wasn't happy. In his experience, anyone forcing you to give up your weapons was setting a trap, and he did not want to give his up.

But Lance, ever trusting, agreed to the terms and handed over his bayard. Keith stayed back, glaring at anyone that tried to get too close to him, until they'd finished patting Lance down for hidden weapons.

He knew Shiro may be mad at him later, but screw it, he wasn't taking any chances. These people were shifty.

Lance was still smiling at the silver skinned guard but grunted in surprise as Keith bumped into him. The red paladin had feigned a stumble and shoved one of his knives into the waistband of Lances jeans. Lance had already been searched and this was the only way to keep weapons with them.

Lance felt it and gave a look to Keith, raising his eyebrows a little, clearly asking why the hell Keith's hand had been on his ass and why there was a knife jammed into his pants.

Keith patted him on the shoulder with a light smile.

"Sorry man, I tripped." His tone was nonchalant but his eyes were telling Lance to trust him and stay alert. Lance sighed but nodded minutely.

The aliens didn't notice, preoccupied with pulling weapons from Keith's form, making him angrier for each blade they took away. Once they were all gone, the two were lead inside, and trapped.

The doors slammed shut and they were surrounded by warriors, spear heads aimed an inch from their throats.

Keith growled out an "I told you we shouldn't trust them" while Lance rolled his eyes.

The moons leader, Cyta, stood, silencing the room as she addressed the paladin's.

"You have made a grave mistake, coming here."

Keith mumbled, grumpily. "That's what I said."

But Lance looked offended. "We're here to help! To save the universe from Zarkon!"

Cyta shook her head. "Zarkon is too powerful and our moon has only been left alone because we pledge our allegiance to him, and send him our resources when asked, without a fight. We want peace for our people and at this moment, you are the only danger to us."

Guards shoved the paladins to the ground before they could do anything else, and though they fought, they were quickly subdued. Keith landed a few good punches before being pressed to the ground along with Lance.

Lance grunted from the dirt as his hands were tied behind his back, watching as Keith struggled as well.

He looked desperately to his team mate.

"We have to call for back up."

Keith let out a pained grunt as one guard pulled his arm particularly hard as he secured them. He looked to Lance, his cheek pressed to the ground.

"We don't have our helmets, how the hell are we gonna call them?"

Lance groaned as they were pulled to their feet, high pitched sarcastic tone tinged with sadness.

"Don't worry about the moon planet, Lance. It's small, they'll be easy to win over. Don't take your lions or armour, you won't want to scare the moon people. Yeah, well the moon people are scaring me right now Princess."

Keith ignored Lances terrible impression of Allura as he tried to reason with the moon's queen.

"Don't be stupid about this. We are saving the entire galaxy from Zarkon and all you have to do is give us information and promise to be on our side when we take him on. This is the best option for your people!"

Cyta's face was cold.

"No. It isn't." She turned to her guards.

"Throw them into the goddess's waters. She will take them and Zarkon will never know they were here."

She turned back to the two paladins. "I am not on Zarkon's side, but he cannot come here and so he cannot find you. You must die, and for this I am sorry."

Keith bucked and pulled against the guards holding him as Lance dug his heels into the dirt, desperately trying to stay and convince the queen.

"No! Please don't do this!"

Lance's mind was racing with options as they were dragged to a cliff overlooking a sea of silver water. He was a good swimmer, he knew he would have a chance but it would be better if his hands weren't tied. They could at least kick their way to the top and maybe he could cut their ties with the knife and find the shore.

But his thoughts were disrupted as he looked to Keith, because the red paladin was freaking out.

He turned to Lance as he fought away from the edge, a guard punching him in the stomach to drag him another inch forward. He was fighting with everything he had and Lance could see the panic on his face. His eyes were wild and his chest heaved.

"Lance, I can't swim! Do something!"

Lance knew that Keith meant the knife. It was still in the waistband of his jeans, hidden under his jacket, but there were too many guards and to bring it out now would do no good. He would have to wait and hope they survived the fall.

Keith was terrified. He never learnt to swim, he'd grown up in the desert, and now he was going to drown on an alien planet. He looked to Lance, those blue eyes sombre and filled with apologies. Oh, fuck no. He couldn't breathe. He was going to die.

Lance pulled at his restraints, trying to loosen them as much as he could, before looking at his team mate.

They were standing so close and both breathing so heavily with fear that Keith could feel Lance's warm breath on his lips. He watched that mouth as Lance spoke, voice quiet and sincere.

"Do you trust me?" Keith looked back up at those blue eyes as they begged him to listen. But the rushing water below filled his ears as panic filled his chest and he shook his head, a quiet sob forcing itself from his throat.

"Please, I can't swim Lance. Do something. The kn-"

Lance interrupted, insistent and unwavering. Keith just hoped that meant he had a plan.

"Do you trust me?"

His breath shook and his voice came as a whisper. "Yes."

Lance's eyes flickered down to Keith's lips and he knew it was probably a bad idea but he could think of nothing else but the need to be close to the red paladin. He pressed forward and pressed his lips to Keith's. Keith's lips gasped open in surprise but quickly kissed Lance back.

Neither of them knew how the other felt about them but in that moment, it didn't matter. They might not make it out alive and Lance just wanted his last moments to taste like Keith.

Keith felt Lance's mouth press to his and suddenly his whole world was quiet. The only thing that existed in that moment was their lips, the soft bite of Lance's teeth, and the breath shared between them. He was weightless. And then they fell.

(AN: yeeah sorry for the cliff hanger loool also fun fact the moon their on is called Achelois which is the greek moon goddess and the people on this moon I made up have very dark skin but with a silver highlight, like when you get highlighter (the makeup not the pens) and you can see it when light hits certain angels yeah they look like that and they're hella fine)


	2. Chapter 2

A guard shoved the two paladins off the cliff, with a prayer to the goddess, and they fell through the whistling, howling air and landed in the frigid silver water.

Lance's world was white with the shock of the cold and the swirl of the bubbles around him as he plunged deep into the water. The silver ocean was denser than the water on earth and his chest was being crushed, lungs screaming with their need for oxygen. His hands pulled desperately at their bindings as he tried to get a decent grip on Keith's knife.

He couldn't see Keith anywhere in the murky depths and his chest screamed further with the need to get free and find him.

It felt as if an eternity had passed since they were dropped into the water but Lance finally wrapped his stiff fingers around the handle of the knife. He pulled it free from his waistband and twisted it in his grip to turn it to his bindings, cutting the ropes securing his hands.

He was finally free, and he kicked at the water furiously to get to the surface of the water. His lungs were burning for the air they craved and he gasped as he finally broke the surface of the sea, hungrily sucking in air as he coughed.

His relief quickly turned to panic as he searched the silver waves for any sign of the red paladin.

"Keith!" His voice was hoarse and he quickly dived back under in search of his team mate.

It was hard to see anything in the dark waters but Lance swam down, his muscles screaming at the exertion. He searched frantically, but he couldn't see him anywhere. He had to go back up for air a couple of times before he finally caught a glimpse of that red jacket.

He dived for him, legs kicking with everything they had, and finally there he was.

His hands were still tied behind his back, face peaceful as his lay closed and his mouth rested slightly open. Lance kicked harder. Keith was drowning.

His long hair was floating around his face, making him look ghostly in the silver water.

Lance's own lungs were burning for air but he swam faster until finally, he had his arms around Keith. Then, using all the energy he had, he kicked to the surface, breaking the water with a gasp as he greedily sucked in air.

But Keith didn't breathe, and he didn't open his eyes. He lay limp in Lance's hold and the blue paladin quickly placed him against his chest, to tip his head back on his shoulder in order to carry him to shore.

They were lucky the body of water they'd been thrown in wasn't very big, and it didn't take very long before he was pulling his team mate onto the black sand.

"Keith?" He was cold and limp in Lance's arms as he dragged him to the sand to lay him on his back. He quickly leaned down and pressed his ear against Keith's chest, pausing to listen before cursing and coming back up. Keith wasn't breathing and his heart beat was slowing.

He laced his fingers over Keith's chest and started compression's, keeping count as he watched Keith's face for any improvement. All he saw was blue lips and wet streaks of hair stuck to his face.

"Keith, come on, breathe."

He couldn't let Keith die on this moon. He couldn't lose him.

He continued compression's until he counted to thirty, then took Keith's cold face in his hands and tipped his head back, pressing his lips to Keith's blue ones.

His lifeguard training from about a million years ago came to the front of his mind and he silently thanked his father for making him get that summer job.

One breath, pause and watch, another breath, another pause. He watched Keith's chest for any movement but it was still and he cursed again as he resumed compression's. But it was taking too long.

"Come on, Keith, stay with me! Breathe, man!"

He pressed harder on his stiff chest, feeling his ribs give under his hands as a crack rippled through his fingers. His own chest felt as if it were caving in, because Keith looked dead under his hands.

How would he tell Shiro? Or the rest of the team? How would they form Voltron without him? What would Lance do without him? He hadn't even gotten up the courage to tell Keith how he felt, and now that they'd finally kissed, he was dying.

A sob threatened to tear from his throat but he pushed it back and pushed harder on Keith's chest.

"Come on, Please, just breathe!"

Finally, thankfully, Keith jerked, silver water erupting from his mouth as he coughed, and Lance pulled him onto his side with a sigh of relief.

"Oh, thank god! Keith, can you hear me?"

Keith's eyes were closed and he was frowning but he nodded slightly after a moment, his hand grasping weakly at his chest. Lance took his hand, holding it tight, as he brushed the hair back from Keith's face, watching with tearful eyes as he sucked in ragged breaths.

"Sorry, you're probably going to hurt for a while. Just keep breathing, okay? I'll figure out a way to get the others there."

Keith didn't seem to be listening and just closed his eyes, curling up on the ground.

Lance was about to tell him to stay awake when a blast of air swept over them, a roar shaking the ground.

The red lion landed on the moon, tail flicking angrily as it looked over Lance and its paladin. Three more lions landed and the rest of team Voltron stepped out onto, sprinting over to their team mates.

Shiro came first, kneeling in the wet sand beside Keith and placed a hand on the boys shoulder where he was curled around Lance's knees.

"What happened?!"

Lance was out of breath and exhausted from the rescue attempt, but gently gathered Keith into his arms to hug him close, in an effort to give him some body heat and keep him calm through all the noise. Especially since he seemed particularly out of it. Keith curled to him, clinging desperately to the thing holding him.

"The people on this moon are too afraid of Zarkon to side against him so they tried to kill us! They threw us off a cliff! Keith didn't do so well, he was under for a long time. I had to do CPR. How did you find us?"

Hunk saw his friends shivering and ran to get some blankets from his lion as Shiro explained.

"The red lion was going crazy, we had to follow her to you. We figured she was worried because something was happening with Keith, so we left dinner on the other planet and came as quick as we could. Blue was worried too but she stayed behind, I can feel her through the black lion, checking up on you. Are you okay?"

Hunk came over with blankets and draped one over Lance's shoulders before helping him wrap one around Keith.

Lance nodded and looked down at the boy in his arms, face pressed to Lance's shoulder and skin still tinged with blue.

"Yeah, I'm only alive because Keith gave me one of his knives before we were caught. He's not doing all that well though, we need to get him warm."

Shiro took Lance's shoulder, squeezing a little as he spoke, his voice sincere.

"Thank you for saving him, you did a really good job here, Lance."

Lance could see how much Shiro meant it and nodded. Shiro placed a loving hand over Keith's forehead, shaken by the knowledge that the teenager almost died and he hadn't been there to help.

He swallowed and addressed Hunk and Pidge.

"let's get back to the castle ship. Lance and Keith need to be checked over and-"

Lance interrupted, a little hesitantly.

"I can take care of Keith and you should talk to the moon people. We could still use their help in a fight against Zarkon and I think you could convince them."

Shiro didn't want to leave Keith but Lance was right. Lance was also a little guilty because he had only told Shiro to make peace with the moon people, so that he could take care of Keith. He just wanted to be the one to look after him. Shiro agreed, though, nodding and leaning down to kiss the top of Keith's wet head.

"I'll see you soon little brother." He looked up at Lance. "Take care of him."

He left, calling the princess on the coms to help with negotiations, as Lance gripped Keith tighter and got to his feet.

Hunk and Pidge crowded around the two as Lance carried Keith into the yellow lion to fly back to the castle ship. Pidge and the red lion followed behind them, Lance watching Keith closely as he started to stir during the landing.

Keith was shifting a little in Lance's arms and groaned as he pressed his face to Lance's shoulder.

"Hey, you with me? Keith?"

"Hmm…Lance?"

The blue paladin brushed Keith's hair out of his eyes and tucked the blanket tighter around him as the yellow lion opened its mouth to let them out.

"Hey, everything's okay. We're in the castle now, you're safe."

Keith nodded a little and curled back to Lance, hiding his cold face into the others shoulder, his stiff fingers gripping him tight as he was carried to Lance's room.

Coran came to greet them from the landing bay and wanted to check them over but Lance knew Keith wouldn't like it. He wouldn't want any tests or healing pods, he just wanted to rest and be warm. And Lance just wanted to take care of him.

Lance declined Coran's offer and took Keith to his room, although, once they were there, Keith didn't want to let go. He was comfortable in Lance's arms and it made him feel safe, he didn't want to leave him.

"Come on, I'm just going to put you on the bed so I can get some dry clothes. Keith, I'll be right back, you're fine."

The red paladin grumbled but let go, curling up on the bed and too tired to move. He was also very confused. He remembered a little from the planet, he didn't like the aliens and he thought he remembered falling? Then just water and darkness. And then all he remembered was Lance, looking down at him with those bright blue eyes, talking to him and holding him close. He had felt so safe in those arms.

His thoughts were disrupted as Lance came back in with his arms full. He dumped towels, blankets and clothes over the bed and turned to the shivering Keith, gently tugging at his clothes, making Keith growl.

"Sorry, I have to get you dry and warm. You can do it yourself if you want but I don't think your ribs are going to let you."

Keith frowned and wrapped an arm around his chest, only just noticing the way it hurt to breathe. Hwy did he hurt? Lance's face was creased in concentration as he took the hem of Keith's shirt and gently lifted it to his chin.

Keith shivered hard as the cold air hit his bare chest and Lance pressed careful fingers to his skin, wincing every time Keith made a noise of pain. He was being so careful, checking for injuries and making sure he wasn't hurting his team mate. Keith had never seen him so serious. He lay still as Lance sighed.

"Two of your ribs are broken but the others seem to be fine. Some of the cracks you hear or feel during CPR are just the muscles not used to moving that way. Those ribs will be sore for a while but you could just go in a healing pod later if you want."

Keith was quiet as he looked up at Lance, they met eyes and the blue paladin nodded.

"Yeah, I know, you don't like healing pods. Just don't do any training till they heal."

Lance started pulling the shirt off Keith, doing all the work for him so that Keith wouldn't have to move very much, and his cheeks began to go red when he got the shirt off and went for his pants.

Keith lifted a heavy hand to poke at Lance's face, making him laugh and take his hand to hold beside him on the bed instead.

"Keith, stop, what are you doing?"

"You're blushing."

Lance looked over to their clasped hands and tore his own away, quickly going back to Keith's pants as he tugged them off, face bright red as he looked at the ground.

"No, I'm not."

Keith just hummed, too tired to say anything, but kept his eyes on those blue ones as Lance reached for a towel. He started rubbing them all over Keith, drying his chilled skin and dripping hair. The course material felt awful and Keith tried to pull away, Lance's hand coming to hold him still.

"Sorry, I have to get you warm. You swallowed a lot of water and I don't want you getting sick. Pidge did a quick analysis of it while flying us back here and she said it's not toxic but I don't want you getting pneumonia or something just because you don't like the towels."

Keith frowned in confusion and hunched his shoulders to his ears as Lance rubbed the towel over his head and back.

"When did I swallow water?"

Lance froze, eyebrows coming down over concerned eyes as he looked at Keith.

"You don't remember?" Keith shook his head and Lance looked suddenly sad.

"You drowned. You weren't breathing and I had to do CPR. That's why your ribs are broken."

Keith didn't remember that but it would explain why he felt so awful. Lance wouldn't look at him now and his mouth was set in a sad frown. Keith watched as he grabbed some soft sweats and helped Keith into them.

Once he had pants on, Lance went back to checking him over, face serious as he studied Keith's eyes and pressed an ear to his chest, listening to his lungs as Keith breathed.

He finally sat up and took a tube of something from a shelf next to the bed.

"Your lungs sound okay but if you start having trouble breathing or feel worse we'll get Coran to do a proper scan. For now, we'll just get you warm and rested. This should help the bruises."

Keith looked down at his chest as Lance carefully smeared goo over him. There were bruises blooming under his skin, deep marks on his chest where Lance's hands had brought him back to life. Keith watched them, curiously, until Lance pulled his arms into a shirt and pulled it down to cover the dark colors his hands had made.

The blue paladin was quiet as he pulled the covers back on his bed and helped Keith get under them, tucking him in and covering him in blankets.

Keith didn't know what to do. He couldn't remember the last time someone took care of him. It felt nice, like he was warm inside, and he remembered what it felt like to be loved. He wanted Lance to feel better too.

Lance was still in the same wet clothes he'd been wearing all day and once Keith was settled, he quickly stripped off and toweled himself dry, goose bumps covering every inch of skin until he'd finally gotten himself in some pyjamas. Keith had felt strange watching Lance, maybe he should have turned away, but the other boys long, slender limbs, moved so beautifully in the soft light.

Lance finally came to sit on the edge of the bed, on top of the covers, as if he was going to sit there all night, upright and alert.

Keith was very tired and a little warmer with all the blankets but Lance looked cold and miserable and Keith didn't like that. He knew his mind was swampy and slow, and he knew he probably wasn't thinking clearly but all he wanted was to make Lance feel better, and Hunk always made Lance feel better with hugs. So, snuggling down into the bed and carefully turning on his side, he reached an arm out to tug at the blue paladins sleeve.

Lance blinked his tired eyes and looked over at his team mate, sounding tired as he answered.

"What? Are you still cold, do you want some more blankets?"

Keith tugged some more, sleepy eyes barely open as he tried to pull Lance into the bed with him, so that he wouldn't have to ask.

Lance grunted as Keith gave a particularly hard yank and let out a little laugh.

"Okay, okay, I'm getting in, chill."

Keith shuffled over a little as Lance slipped under the blankets with him, trying to keep to the side of the bed as he shivered. But Keith simply took one of Lance's arms and pulled it around him as he rolled onto his side, his back to the blue paladin. He tugged on Lance until he rolled the way he wanted him to, ending with Lance as the big spoon as Keith curled up and hugged Lance's arm. Now he was warm and safe, and Lance would be too.

Lance blushed a deep red as he held his breath. Keith was cuddling with him, and he didn't know why. He thought maybe he had just read his signals wrong and maybe Keith had actually wanted something else. But then he felt Keith's back press to his chest, his hand held tightly in Keith's grip as the boy fell asleep. His breaths were deep and even and Lance could feel the heat growing between them, chasing the chill from his bones.

He felt a lot better, and Keith was obviously doing okay. So, he sighed and snuggled in behind his team mate, breathing deeply in their cuddle position, and appreciating the moment. Keith had initiated it, so may he did feel the same way Lance did. His eyes were falling shut and his mind slowed as sleep came to claim him, so he figured he could work out what it all meant in the morning.

The two boys held each other tight under the mountain of blankets, sleeping soundly after a terrifying day.


	3. Chapter 3

Keith's dreams were full of memories. Lance's blue eyes pleading and scared. Those pink lips pressing against his. The way Lance had screamed as they fell.

Then that silver water, thick and choking dragging him down as he struggled against his bonds. He had been desperate for air but given none as his lungs filled with the sea.

He suffocated, drowning, dying in the cold darkness. But there was a voice calling for him and warm hands pressing against him.

"Keith! Wake up!"

The red paladin's eyes snapped open as he gasped, Lance leaning over him on the bed.

"Are you okay? It looked like you were having a nightmare."

Keith blinked up at the other boy as he leant over and turned on the light, sighing.

"You should eat something."

Lance got out of bed as Keith remained silent, trying to get his breath back as the previous day came back to him.

He watched Lance pad around the room, running a hand through his sleep mussed hair as he looked through a pile of clothes.

Keith's voice was still rough from sleep. "You saved me yesterday."

Lance turned to look him, t-shirt hanging from his hand.

"Huh?"

Keith sat up in the bed, distantly missing the warmth of Lance beside him.

"Yesterday. You saved my life."

Lance nodded, slowly, before shrugging and going back to his clothes.

"You're the one who gave me the knife."

Keith shook his head, frowning. "Yeah, but you dragged me out of the water. You did CPR. You saved me."

Lance didn't see why Keith was being so intense about it. They'd seen plenty of battles and always had each other's backs.

Lance shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, so what?"

"So, I owe you."

Lance scoffed, frowning.

"You don't _owe_ me anything, Keith."

"Yes, I do. You saved me and even now you're taking care of me."

Lance made a face, something between confusion and frustration.

"I saved you because you would have died otherwise. We need you to form Voltron, Keith. We're a team, we all save each other. It doesn't mean anything."

He winced, not meaning for it to sound so dismissive.

Keith let out a little disappointed, "oh". Maybe he had misread the situation.

Lance tipped his head back, trying to think of how to explain.

"I didn't mean it like that. Saving you did mean something, you mean something. But you don't owe me anything. I'm taking care of you because I want to."

Keith tried not to smile but his face betrayed him.

"Thanks. No one's taken care of me like that except for Shiro."

Lance came to sit on the bed as he pulled off his pyjama top and pulled on a t-shirt instead, Keith trying hard not to stare.

"Yeah, Shiro called you little brother last night. You two are really close huh?"

Keith nodded, accepting his own, now washed and dried, clothes that Lance handed him.

"I met him when I was pretty young, after my parents died. Shiro was helping out with the foster programme I was in and he looked after me, got me into the garrison. He's the reason I turned out this way."

"What? Grumpy and stubborn?" Lance was smiling teasingly and Keith let out a small laugh, looking down at his hands as he fiddled with his fingers.

"I used to be worse, believe me."

Lance patted his shoulder and got up to finish getting dressed, his tone light though his words sincere.

"Well, we're a family now. We'll always take care of you."

Keith didn't think Lance knew what that meant to him. He had kept to himself as a child in foster care, never trusting anybody, and it had been the same at the garrison. He didn't make friends and he didn't want to. Making bonds just meant you had more people to leave you. Shiro had been the only person he'd been close to for a long time, and so, when he went missing on the mission to Kerberos, Keith lost himself.

But now that he was with team Voltron, he wasn't alone anymore. He had people to watch his back, to care about him. He hadn't had a family in so long he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be loved, and Lance was so full of love.

Keith got up from the bed, ignoring the way his chest protested, and closed the distance between him and the blue paladin.

Lance was fixing his hair in the mirror and wasn't expecting a hug, especially not from Keith, but he smiled all the same when those arms came around him.

"Woah, hey there Keithy. You really are cuddly, aren't you? What's this for?"

"Thank you. For everything." Keith hadn't meant for it to sound so stupid but he meant it.

Lance hugged him back, smiling. "No problem."

Keith let him go and kept his face low, attempting to hide his smile behind his hair as he went back to the bed to retrieve his clothes. He could hear Lance laughing behind him.

"Are you blushing?"

Keith snorted, and turned his back to the blue paladin, embarrassed. He remembered saying the same thing to Lance last night.

"No."

Lance walked over and pointed to the shirt Keith was holding.

"You'll need help getting that on with your broken ribs, you won't be able to lift your arms too far. And we really should get you properly checked out by Coran."

His face was serious again but it had a hint of colour to it, something like fondness in the glint of his eyes and the upturned corner of his mouth.

He lifted a hand to Keith's forehead, making the red paladin feel like a child again as he brushed him away.

"You don't have a fever but we should see Coran anyway, he might have something for your chest."

Keith was staring at that pretty mouth but quickly focussed on Lance's blue eyes as they met his.

"Do you want some help?"

Lance was pointing to the shirt in Keith's hand and he was standing so close that Keith could only nod.

It had been different last night, when he'd been out of it and confused. Now he was keenly aware of every breath and touch between them.

Lance's ling fingers tugging the hem of his shirt up, lifting it carefully over his chest and head, moving it so that Keith wouldn't have to lift his arms too high and hurt his ribs.

Keith shivered at Lance's touch on his skin and let out a breath of air. They were even closer now and Keith couldn't stop staring at the blue paladin's beautiful eyes. He didn't even notice himself pressing closer to him as Lance dropped the pyjama shirt and brushed his hands against Keith's hips.

Lance was breathing heavier now, with Keith looking at him so intently. The heat of their bodies making his cheeks flush, and they just stood like that, barely touching but wanting to so badly, until Lance spoke.

His voice was quiet and breathy and god, how it made Keith's heart race.

"Do you remember yesterday?"

Keith nodded. "You saved me."

Lance blinked, unable to look away from Keith's mouth as his tongue darted out to wet his lips. He needed to know if Keith wanted this too. He hadn't asked before he'd kissed Keith the first time and he wanted to make sure he did that now.

"No, before that. On the cliff when I-"

Keith nodded, cutting of the rest of his words as he pressed his lips to Lance's. They moved instantly under his, hungry and warm.

He did remember. Lance had kissed him. But now it was his turn and he pressed against him as Lances hands gripped his hips to pull him closer. He had been waiting so long to admit his feelings, to admit what he wanted, and he felt as if he couldn't get enough as he wound his fingers in Lance's hair at the back of his neck.

Once they finally came up for air, Keith pressed his forehead to Lance's, hands gripping his face with tender fingers, both of them breathing heavily.

"I remember."

Lance's face broke out into a smile, his voice teasing. "You know, technically, because of the CPR thing, I kissed you twice. Which means you still owe me one."

Keith laughed and leaned forward so that his lips brushed against Lance's.

"Oh yeah?"

"Uh, huh." Keith kissed him again, feeling the blue paladins smile under his lips, as Lance slid his hands from Keith's hips, to his waist.

Keith had thought he would die on that cliff, and his last taste would be of the blue paladin that he loved in secret, but he'd been saved and now he could taste him any time he wanted. As Lance laughed against his mouth, that giddy, happy noise making Keith smile too, he thought that if this was where he landed, then maybe the fall was worth it.


End file.
